In a significant move, India’s Supreme Court has issued a notice to the central government regarding the implementation of a service that displays the correct name of callers on mobile phones. Chief Justice Sanjeev Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar have sought a response on the introduction of the Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) service, which has been under discussion by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for several years.
The notice was prompted by a petition filed by Gaurishankar from Bengaluru, who argued that fraudulent calls are a growing concern, affecting not only individuals but also investigative agencies and banks. The CNAP service, which has been debated for nearly three years, has yet to be implemented. The service would display the caller’s name as registered with their identity proof, significantly reducing the risk of fraud and enhancing security.
Currently, many people rely on apps like Truecaller, which use user-provided information to identify callers. However, these apps can be inaccurate and do not verify the information. The proposed CNAP service aims to use verified names, making it much harder for fraudsters to hide their identities.
Chief Justice Khanna stated, “We understand the problem. Let’s wait for the government’s response, and then we will discuss further.” The hearing is scheduled for the first week of March, where the future of this potentially transformative service will be further examined.
